The present invention relates to apparatus for storing a cable. Such apparatus may be used in conjunction with equipment which includes, for example, a test probe, light pen or similar device which is connected to the main body of the equipment by a flying lead. With this type of equipment the device at the end of the lead is often used only periodically and during such times that the device is not being used it is desirable to provide means to support or store the cable in a position in which it will not impede the operator and in which it will not be damaged.
Simple arrangements such as hooks or clips for retaining the device have previously been proposed, however, such arrangements leave the cable hanging in a loop in which state it is still liable to impede the operator and to be vulnerable to damage.
Arrangements for winding the cable onto a drum or cylinder are known. However, with such arrangements it will be realised that rotation of the drum requires that slip rings or similar devices must be employed in order to transfer signals between the cable and the main body of the equipment. When the signals are of low voltage and low current, as is often the case, slip rings are unsatisfactory because they can increase the electrical resistance in the connection between the test probe or light pen and the main body of the equipment.
It has also previously been proposed to form the cable so that it resembles a coiled spring. Such an arrangement is used, for example, to connect a telephone handset to the remainder of the instrument. However, this type of arrangement which effectively allows the cable to stretch, provides only a limited amount of extension and, when in its unstretched state, the cable is still long enough to cause problems.
An arrangement in which a flexible connecting pipe is drawn into a box or container by a spring loaded pulley has previously been proposed. In this arrangement the pipe is fixed at one point and looped around the pulley which moves along a guide rail. Thus, the loop of pipe may be drawn from the container against the spring pressure, which pressure is also effective to draw the pipe back into the container. A disadvantage with this arrangement, however, is that the pulley travel must be half the length of the required extension of the pipe which results in an unduly lengthy container.